5 reasons why India won the Asia Cup 2017

Let us take a look at some of the talking points from the the recently concluded Hockey Asia Cup held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

India have been crowned the Asian Champions for the third time in their history, beating Malaysia 2-1 in the Finals. India were dominant throughout the tournament, as they pumped in 28 goals and did not lose a single game on their way to glory.

What makes the victory even more remarkable is that India went in with a fairy inexperienced side barring a few players, who stood up to the occasion in a wonderful manner.

#5 The gulf in class

Even before the start of the tournament, India were the overwhelming favorites to win the championship as they were the highest ranked team, at no.6 in the World.

This was evident from the fact that they beat Japan 5-0, Bangladesh 7-0, Pakistan 3-1 in the League phase and then comfortably got the better of Malaysia 6-2 and Pakistan 4-0 in the Super 4 stage.

Their only draw came against South Korea, with the scoreline reading 1-1. The Indians were largely untroubled for most parts, and their performances, largely inspiring.

#4 Excellent Backline and Dependable Custodians

Enter — Akash Chikte made tremendous saves

The biggest takeaway from this tournament would be the form shown by the Defenders as they were alert all the time and up to the task at crucial junctures.

The trio of Dipsan Tirkey, Chinglensana Singh and Harmanpreet Singh stood fort and thwarted the opponent attacks on many occasions. Harmanpreet, in particular dazzled with his drag-flicking capabilities, and was the joint highest goal scorer with 7 Goals to his name.

Akash Chikte, who had to fill in for the shoes of P.R.Sreejesh, produced stunning saves, particularly against Pakistan in the Super 4 game.The backup goalkeeper Suraj Karkera also looked good in the limited game time he got. They are definitely future prospects and good times lie ahead for the players.

#3 Exuberance of youth

Ent — Harmanpreet Singh was deadly with his drag flicks

The striking feature of this Indian side was that inspite of being pretty inexperienced, they were highly effective. Along with the experienced campaigners Manpreet and Sardar, the youngsters like Gurjant Singh, SK Uthappa, Lalit Upadhyay worked like well-oiled machines, tirelessly running from flank to flank.

The long balls were neatly intercepted and the game flow was so well structured and neat. India has to maintain the same Intensity levels in future, as sterner tests await them with Hockey World League Finals fast approaching.

#2 Attacking frontline

SV Sunil created plenty of chances in the opposition halves

Over the years, Indian hockey was severely crippled due to the lack of quality front line players who could alter the course of the game in a matter of moments.

But the current crop with the likes of Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh, SV Sunil have made heads turn up with their Flair and Tenacity. SV Sunil in particular, proved to be a nightmare to the defenders with his click passing and creative play.

Akashdeep and Ramandeep were clinical in front of goal with deft tap-ins and brilliant runs across the flanks.The margin of victories stand as a testament to their abilities.

#1 Change in mindset

When long-term coach Roelant Oltmans was sacked just a month prior to the Asia Cup, questions arose whether the team could regroup under the new coach. But replacement Sjoerd Marijne has silenced all critics with excellent man-management skills and Wise strategic plans. His important task at hand was carrying forward the legacy of Oltmans, who inculcated the attacking style of play in the Indian camp.

With a perfect support system in place, Sjoerd has concentrated mainly on counter attacks combined with speed and skill. He has bigger objectives ahead of him with the World League Finals around the corner, and expectations on this team, has increased manifold. Let's hope for the best for the team.

Edited by Anuradha Santhanam